Inorganic materials have long been used in industrial and construction applications. For example, a typical inorganic material used for construction purpose is Portland cement. However, materials such as Portland cement require significant amounts of energy to produce and cure, and in some applications can possess a lower degree of durability than would otherwise be desired. One potential improvement to the limitations of such typical materials includes use of geopolymer technology, including for applications such as construction and highway applications.
Geopolymers themselves include inorganic polymers based on inexpensive mineral or mineral-derived materials such as silicas, silicates, aluminosilicates, etc. and are of interest because such materials can be cured by action of alkali and form stable networks that provide a higher degree of strength and interconnectivity, and hence improved durability and longevity. In addition, geopolymer technology requires less energy and has lower associated generation of by-products such as carbon dioxide. For example, while materials such as silicates have been used in inorganic materials such as cements as a reinforcement, materials such as alkali-activated slags have been used as cements.
There remains a need, however, for geopolymer compositions with broader compositional range and which can be controlled compositionally to provide improved cure properties, and improved mechanical properties for the cured product.